Following a devastating report that found the NHS’s gender clinic was unsafe, and calling for greater research into “puberty blocking” treatment for teenage girls, the NHS will close its controversial child-gender clinic.
An ongoing investigation into Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service(GIDS) clinic found doctors pushing children towards life-altering procedures.
Additionally, it found that the hospital had become overwhelmed with patient referrals, more than five thousand in just one year compared with a mere handful ten years ago.
Paediatrician Hilary Cass gave a scathing assessment and concluded that the service wasn’t’safe or viable long term option’. She also stated that gender issues were “overshadowed” by other mental health concerns.
Additionally, there are concerns about the effects of puberty blocking drugs on young women’s brain development. She called for people who use this medication to be monitored and studied in wider research.
Keira Bell, former patient of the clinic at issue, brought the High Court to question the doctors for allegedly pushing her into puberty blocking drugs.
While initially the court ruled in her favor, it was unlikely that children below 16 would consent to the use of puberty-blockers. However, last year the Court of Appeal reversed the court’s decision.
GIDS provides all services related to gender dysphoria, gender identity and child care in the UK.
NHS England said that its Tavistock service will be shut down by next spring.
Regional centers at children’s hospitals will take over GIDS’s closing. They will offer holistic care, with strong connections to mental health services.
Tavistock’s Gender Identity Development Service, (GIDS), clinic is under review. The current investigation found that it rushed children to life-altering puberty blocking treatments.
Keira Bell, 25, (pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice in 2020) launched a lawsuit against Tavistock – the NHS’ only child gender clinic – which she said rushed her into taking drugs
According to the NHS, gender dysphoria can be described as a feeling of discomfort caused by a mismatch in a person’s biological sex with their gender identity.
Campaigners, who previously accused GIDS in rushing their children to life-altering puberty-blocking drugs, will likely see this as a win.
In a letter to NHS England expressing concern over the use of these drugs, Dr Cass said: ‘Staff should maintain a broad clinical perspective in order to embed the care of children and young people with gender uncertainty within a broader child and adolescent health context.’
Tavistock’s review was initiated by her to investigate several problems affecting the clinic.
These numbers include the sheer volume of referrals which surpassed 5000 in 2021/22, up from only 250 in 2011/12.
Another issue was the nature of the cases, particularly among those in their early teens, had also changed, with the majority switching from ‘birth-registered males’ to ‘birth-registered females’.
A’significant’ number of children presented with neurodiversity, other mental health issues and “risky behaviors” and it was a concern. This needed to be investigated before allowing them to transition.
According to the report, “This has resulted in a shortage of clinical consensus as well as polarized opinion about what the best care model for young children experiencing gender dysphoria and incongruence should be. There is also a dearth of evidence that can support families to make informed decisions regarding interventions that could have long-lasting consequences.
“This has led to our current service not being able to keep up with the growing demand.”
In her letter addressed to NHS England Dr Cass called for further research on the impact of hormone blockers on brain development in young people.
She wrote: ‘A further concern is that adolescent sex hormone surges may trigger the opening of a critical period for experience-dependent rewiring of neural circuits underlying executive function (i.e. maturation of that part of your brain involved in planning, decision-making and judgment.
“If this happens, puberty blocking drugs may temporarily or permanently affect brain maturation. This could impact the ability to make risk-laden and complex decisions as well as have long-term neuropsychological implications.
“To-date, very little research has been done on the long-term, short-term, and medium-term effects of hormonal blockers on neurocognitive growth.”
She said, “I suggest consideration of rapid establishment the research infrastructure necessary to prospectively enroll young persons being considered for hormone therapy into a formal programme with adequate follow-up into adulthood with a greater focus on questions concerning puberty blocking drugs.”
A spokesperson from GIDS stated that the trust supported the idea of establishing a sustainable care model to treat this patient group, given the significant growth in referrals.
“The current GIDS Service will have the expertise necessary to successfully form these early adopter service and provide continuity in patient care.
“We will cooperate closely with our partners and commissioners in order to smoothen the transition to the new delivery model.”
They added that the GIDS team was extremely proud, despite all the scrutiny they were subjected to.
“Over the past couple of years, our staff at GIDS worked tirelessly under severe scrutiny in a challenging climate.
We are proud of them, and we thank them for their incredible efforts and unrelenting patience.
This comes just a month after it was revealed that all children who have been treated for gender dysphoria within the past decade will be screened to determine if their NHS care has caused them any more harm than good.
Former Health Secretary Sajid Javid changed the law to allow researchers to study data on about 9,000 adolescents given counselling or drugs for the condition.
According to Mr Javid, he wants to find out if the treatment helps or causes more problems and regrets in these children.
The data is currently protected under medical confidentiality laws. This means that people get a new NHS number if they change their gender.
According to reports, he was concerned that certain vulnerable children are wrongly being prescribed puberty-blockers.
According to insiders, he believed the system was failing children and compared his inability to speak up to the fear that officials would investigate Asian grooming gangs.
This follows several cases against NHS gender clinics brought by patients who felt they weren’t challenged more by their doctors when they switched genders.
Clinics in London, Leeds and Bristol, run by the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust, are England’s only specialist services for trans children.
The organization has been accused by being willing to prescribing life-altering treatment and drug that permanently alters the hormones of patients.
The legislation to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2004 has been introduced at the beginning of June. It is expected that it will soon become law.
This will enable the NHS to review all patients who received therapy from 2009 through 2020.
A Government source said ahead of Dr Cass’ review: ‘It is crucial that the relevant data is made available to Dr Cass as part of her independent review.
It will create a leading clinical evidence base and better guide the planning of services.
“Ultimately it will benefit all, especially children who are questioning their gender identity.”
The Times reports that Mr Javid is concerned about the NHS offering too many drugs to patients with gender dysphoria.
After having gone through counselling, UK doctors can give children puberty-blockers.
After turning 16, they can receive hormone treatments, which result in the development of male and female traits.
There has been a dramatic rise in children receiving treatment for gender dysphoria in Britain.
Only 138 children received treatment in 2010/11 as compared with 2,383 in 2020/21 which was a 17fold increase.
Keira Bell (25-year-old) was prescribed puberty blocks by Tavistock when she was 16. She filed a lawsuit against Tavistock claiming that they rushed her to take the drugs.
The High Court determined that under-16-year-olds were unable to consent to treatment in Ms Bell’s instance.
However, the decision was reversed a year later.
After a British man had his genitals taken during gender reassignment, he filed a lawsuit against the NHS.
Ritchie Herron (35), claims that doctors failed to warn him about the severe consequences of his body-altering surgery, which left him infertile and incontinent, as well as feeling like a “sexual eunuch”.
This is believed to be the first case of medical negligence involving NHS transgender services in the country. Names of the NHS trust that was involved have not yet been released.
“Oh, God!” This was the first thing I thought of when I got up. Was that the right thing to do?”What have I done?”
Pictured: Ritchie Herron claims he was quickly-tracked through the NHS to life-changing surgeries
Ritchie Herron is a brilliant and articulate Newcastle civil servant who has found it almost impossible to live his life these past four years. He takes ten minutes just to empty his bladder. It is a painful and slow process. He has stopped having sex. His crotch, he claims, is now numb and’shell-shocked” from the extent of his injuries sustained under the NHS’s apparent care.
Ritchie is a person who has lost his ability to cope with the events of his life. Last month he revealed – in an exclusive interview – that he is the man preparing legal action against the NHS over an operation that removed his genitals.
Ritchie made the case public last week, when he wrote about it on Twitter using the pseudonym TullipR. This brief testimony was picked up in the Daily Mail.
Battling mental health issues – and after decades of suppressing his homosexuality – Ritchie, 35, had thought the answer was to become a woman. He claims that he made a ‘biggest mistake in his life’, and was left infertile and incontinent, along with continuing pain.
He claims that the NHS clinic had not only failed to consider his mental crisis but also failed to adequately counsel him on the potential risks.
Ritchie has decided to waive his anonymity to tell the story of his ordeal in full, detail the physical and mental scars he has been left with – and warn there are more like him ready to take legal action over the surgery they bitterly regret.
This account raises grave questions about the safety measures in place at NHS Gender Clinics. They have experienced a 1,700% increase in referrals during the last ten years. The majority of these were children and young people.
The speed at which Ritchie – who had been living as a woman called Abby – was diagnosed and subsequently referred for irreversible surgery is disturbing in itself.
He says he actually had rejected the surgery several times and voiced his deep concerns to the staff.
According to him, his case may spark another wave of claims.
Pictured below: Ritchie, dressed in feminine clothes before his surgery.
According to him, “This is an avalanche that’s waiting for it,” he told The Mail on Sunday. “Transition” is being offered to the masses. It is akin to PPI, only more so.
“In a few decades, I’m certain we’ll see law firms asking people whether they have transitioned or if there are any compensation claims.”
Ritchie says that Ritchie did not ask any professional whether Ritchie had mental health problems which might have lead him to think he was transgender.
He is now one of many ‘de-transitioners,’ living again as a man, and mourning the’mistake’. His confusion stemmed from his inability to accept that he was gay. He now recognizes this.
Ritchie said he had buried his sexuality. This left Ritchie with anxiety, depression and obsessive habits that helped him to cope.
In his 20s, he came across gender dysphoria via an online chatroom. He was convinced by older members of the forum that he had to be transgender.
Ritchie felt it was a lightbulb moment at that point. In 2012, Ritchie decided to see a professional after a string of failures.
He was referred to a psychologist, who did not dissuade him of the notion he had gender dysphoria, and then to the Northern Region Gender Dysphoria Service, run by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
Photo: Ritchie Herron, a young boy
Although the waiting list was lengthy, Ritchie decided to take out a payday loan in order to finance an appointment at a private clinic for women. Ritchie did so in March 2014.
Ritchie said that Ritchie was diagnosed with “transsexualism” after two appointments lasting 30 minutes.
A psychiatrist recommended he take medication to block his testosterone production – the first step towards gender reassignment.
One close family member tried to slow down the process by coming to the clinic along with Ritchie. Ritchie said that Ritchie told his doctor she was taking a lot of antidepressants, had complex problems and they wanted to refer him for treatment.
Why did Ritchie agree to it? He says, “I was 26,” but he admits that it was very risky.
Abby was his first name and he began to live full time. He wore female clothing. The testosterone-suppressing drugs meant he began developing breasts. He was visiting the NHS Newcastle gender clinic by March 2015.
The first thing you’ll be asked is “Do you want to have genital or sex surgery?” “Yes,” he replied. ‘I wasn’t sure. However, I had heard that therapy could be available for those who were waiting on surgery. So I agreed.
The clinic – which will not comment on Ritchie’s specific case – told the MoS it does not provide mental health services to patients.
Six months later in July 2015 Ritchie was referred for vaginoplasty surgery. Ritchie claims that he spoke to the psychiatrist, saying he wasn’t sure and declined. However, he continued therapy.
2017 was Ritchie’s second surgery referral. This would be at Nuffield Health in Brighton, but paid by the NHS. Ritchie refused it again – but says he was told that if he did not accept the referral he would be discharged from the service.
He recalls that this sent him into a “tailspin”. This meant that his therapy which had been a lifeline would be stopped. Recently, he admitted that he was feeling suicidal.
Ritchie was ushered into the operating theater at 10:20 am on May 23, 2018. He says, “I never even saw the surgeon.” “I felt very strongly that I was in the mindset of “I’m here right now. There’s no stopping it even though I want to.” ‘
It involves performing an irreversible surgery that removes the penis and testicles. Then, the area is reshaped to appear like the female genitals.
He was unconscious for eight days and was unable to move because of the effects of painkillers. After regaining his lucidity, his initial thought was: “Oh God, how have I done that?”
Ritchie is now planning a legal case against Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust. Peter Harthan, his barrister claims that Ritchie and other patients were subject to a ‘lifetime of medical care and adverse consequences’. He also stated that Ritchie could not be put back together.
He added that he was concerned by the fact that doctors failed to spot red flags and adjust their direction. OCD and internalised homophobia as well as depression, OCD, drug abuse, childhood trauma, OCD, OCD should all be considered.
The Trust stated that it couldn’t comment on any individual but added, “Care plans are collaboratively tailored to the needs of each patient and their goals. Treatment decisions are made after a detailed assessment and in accordance with national recommendations.”
Ritchie said, “I am proof that the entire system must become much more robust.” Are there more people like Ritchie?